Warren Mayor Fouts proposes to rid city of trailer park problem

WARREN, Mich. (WKBK) - The Mayor of Warren is proposing a new ordinance that would give the city the power to force mobile home owners to clean up problems.

Jim Fouts said that many trailer parks in his city are filled with rats, roaches, and prostitutes. He says that, right now, there's nothing he can do to clean it up. So he's proposing action.

"We are going to go in front of the mobile park commission and present them with our ordinance to declare this a nuisance abatement and clean it up," Fouts said.

Warren is proposing an ordinance that would allow the city to force owners to clean it up. However, the ordinance must be approved by the State's Manufactured Housing Commission , and the mayor says a majority of the members are trailer park owners.

"These are the kind of rules that exist in no man's land. No one should have to put up with this. But right now they exist in their own rules and that's wrong," Fouts said.

One of those problematic parks he points to is Continental Community. It's near Eight Mile between Ryan and Dequindre and he's not the only one who wants it cleaned up. Louise McMurdy has lived in the park for 17 years and thinks a clean up will do more than just make it look nice.

"Yeah they should clean it up, maybe they'll get more people in here if it looks better," McMurdy said.

She's not alone. Other residents claim there's a motorcycle gang in the area and they hear gunshots a lot.

Isaac Freeman says he's more concerned about blight than drugs and prostitution.

"I get along with everyone. I like to drink, I'm an alcoholic, but other than that..." Freeman said.

Fouts joined FOX 2 on the tour and says that people like Freeman and McMurdy shouldn't have to live this way.

"Residents like this gentlemen have a right to live in a park that's not a cesspool for various types of things like drugs and prostitutes," Fouts said.

FOX 2 talked to the park manager who said she's aware of problems in the park and is making an effort to try and solve them. She said she was unaware of the proposed ordinance.